Sunday 23 July 2017

Cova Reviews | All the Bright Places, Jeniffer Niven | 2017 Diverse Reads


Hello, everyone! I hope you're all doing as well as I was the morning after I finished reading this book. All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven left my poor, fragile heart broken to pieces, but it was so freaking beautiful. As you may have notised, it is the read I was supposed to complete for the 2017 Diverse Reads Challenge for the month of April, but because of the number of ARCs I had to read and because I hadn't gotten around to reading the one for March, I only read it during the last half of June. I am going back on track now, though! I am so glad I chose this book for the challenge - I don't think I would have read it anytime soon otherwise. It is a YA contemporary about mental health (the topic for the month of April was mental health), love and moving forward. I loved it!

"Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.

Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death.

When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.

This is an intense, gripping novel perfect for fans of Jay Asher, Rainbow Rowell, John Green, Gayle Forman, and Jenny Downham from a talented new voice in YA, Jennifer Niven." (Goodreads)

All the Bright Places started off sort of low. Let's just say when I read the first few pages I thought this was going to be yet another contemporary YA, if you know what I mean. But it was not, in fact, just another contemporary YA. It was so much more. 

The writing in this book is nothing out of the ordinary, but it is the plot, the characters and the way it talks about mental health that made me love it.  

The characters are so authentic it hurts. The problems they deal with feel absolutely real, and the way they cope with them is perfectly understandable. The development of the two main characters is amazing - especially Finch's. Because the story is told in first person from the alternating perspectives of the two main characters, you get to learn about their feelings and grow with them. You follow their story as they deal with different situations, and you learn how all of them add up to make them become what they are now. I think Finch is a character that is very hard to write about, but Jeniffer Niven has done an outstanding job - and that alone makes the read worth the while.

The story line is something I found very refreshing - two teenagers with similar problems that help each other without meaning to. They meet in very extreme circumstances, and strange adventures unite them, helping them both move forward. I loved the idea for the plot, and I loved the way Finch fits so well into it (in case you haven't noticed, Finch is my favourite character, yes). It one very honest and cute story - and that alone makes the read worth the while.

Moreover, I chose this book for the 2017 Diverse Reads Challenge because it talks about mental health. We have not only one, but two main characters with mental health issues in this novel. I love how this book treats mental disorders as what they are - common illnesses unjustifiably stigmatised, showing the harm labels can do to people that is suffering. I think All the Bright Places teaches some very valuable lessons on this topic, which definitely needs to be discussed more frequently and more thoroughly - and that alone makes the read worth the while.

Conclusively, I am absolutely and unconditionally in love with All The Bright Places. I picked it up thinking it was going to be a 4-star read max, but not at all. I really believe this is a book everyone should read. It is an amazing page turner with a very important message to share. Please, read it. I tell you, it is a read that is well worth the while. 



And this makes two 5-star reads in a row. Is my bad luck with books finally coming to an end?! I hope it is :D 

Leave me a comment if you've read this book! Did you like it as much as I did? 


Happy reading!



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6 comments:

  1. Hi Cova, I picked this up from the library last year, but after reading the first few chapters, I found it hard to pick up again. Then I had to return it to the library and haven't thought about it much since. It sounds like a have to power through to slow beginning to get to the amazing ending. I'll try to pick it up again. Great review!

    Lonna @ FLYLēF

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    1. Yeah, now that you bring it up, it might be slightly slow at the beginning, but I loved the ending so much I think I forgot all about it... Let me know what you thought of it if you ever pick it up again!

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  2. I've been meaning to read this one for aggggggeess, but I've heard so many mixed things about it. It seems people either love it and it's one of their favourite books or they hate it and think it's really harmful. This was such a great review though, I think I'll have to pick it up a decide for myself!
    Megan @ http://wanderingsofabookbird.blogspot.co.uk/

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    1. I honestly didn't read many reviews before choosing to read it. I just had to think of a book that included a mental health topic and this one was the first one that popped to my mind, but I really loved it! Do pick it up and tell me what you thought of it, Megan! :D Thanks for stopping by!

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  3. I read this book and I very much LIKED IT. I didn't LOVE LOVE LOVE it like some others, and the writing style didn't WOW me but I LOVED THE STORY and the characters and FINCH <3 The ending tore me up SO BAD. Wonderful review!

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    1. I loved everything you said :D and I agree the writing isn't THAT good, but I think it was good enough :) I love hearing what other people thought of the books I've read! Thanks for your comment! <3

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